Dow was born in Hollywood to a stuntwoman. Dow was a Junior Olympics diving champion who tagged along with a friend and ended up auditioning for and getting the role of Wally.
“Leave it to Beaver” first aired in 1957 and remained on the air until 1963.
The iconic black-and-white sitcom followed the rambunctious little Beaver, his sensible brother Wally, their cunning friend Eddie Haskell, and their long-suffering but sympathetic parents, played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.
Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly, the show’s creators, modeled the characters on their own children, including elements like Wally’s continuous hair-combing that they noticed in their own teenagers.
As the episode came to a close, Wally was getting ready to start college, while Beaver was getting ready to start high school.
In the 1980s, Dow reprised his role as Beaver in the television movie “Still the Beaver” and the series “The New Leave It to Beaver,” for which he not only directed five episodes but also scripted one.
Is Wally Cleaver Dead?
Wally Cleaver from “Leave It to Beaver” actor Tony Dow is still alive despite representatives confirming his death.
According to the New York Times, Dow’s representatives issued an incorrect statement on Facebook about his demise.
His son Christopher Dow’s most recent Facebook message states, “This is a terrible time.
Dad is at home, receiving hospice care, and is nearing the end of his life.
